Motoring

VW’s new special edition bus is perfect for dusty veldskoene

It’s named after the world’s longest road network, the PanAmericana Highway that stretches from Canada to Argentina (with one not-so-little snag in the middle) and reminds you of that fact with special welcome lights on the inner door sills and classy little badges on the exterior B-Pillars featuring a graphic of the Americas.

Volkswagen South Africa is giving prospective Caravelle buyers a more rugged option in the form of the special edition PanAmericana.

Volkswagen SUV

The new edition is however also meant to be equally at home on South Africa’s gravel byways and thus the exterior and cabin feature a mix of hard-wearing materials. Sadly the stainless steel flooring in the picture (which VWSA sourced internationally) is not available on local models, although rubber floor mats are in place to cope with those muddy mountain bikes or David Kramer’s dusty red veldskoene.

Volkswagen Interior

Also unique to the PanAmericana are stainless steel pedal caps and seats with a ‘Milthy’ black and white insert, although the two-tone leather upholstery that you see in the image above is available as an R11 800 option.

Besides the aforementioned logo, the PanAmericana is distinguished on the outside by 17-inch Davenport alloy wheels, a chromed grille, grey textured paint on the bumpers, stone guard film along the lower sides and underbody protection.

SUV VW

The only engine option is Volkswagen’s 2-litre twin-turbodiesel, rated at 132kW and 400Nm, and mated as standard to a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox and 4Motion all-wheel-drive system.

This rugged but fancy bus is yours for R955 400, including a five-year/60 000km maintenance plan and three-year/120 000km warranty.

Source: IOL News